1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle attachment devices, specifically a hitch assistance system.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has always been a problem with attaching a trailer hitch to the towing ball by oneself. The towing ball mounted on the rear of the towing vehicle is not visible from the driver's seat. In addition, as the user reverses the towing vehicle towards the trailer hitch, the trailer hitch also becomes not visible to the user. Typically a user has another person positioned at the rear of the towing vehicle to guide the driver to position the towing ball substantially about the trailer hitch. However, it is often difficult to position or attach a trailer to a towing vehicle without the assistance of another person. Some improvements have been made in the field. Examples of references related to the present invention are described below, and the supported teachings of each reference are incorporated by reference herein:
U.S. Pat.: No. 4,723,788, issued to Suter, discloses an apparatus for facilitating the alignment of a trailer hitch socket with the ball mounted on the towing vehicle is provided wherein a couple of inter-fitting masts are used. The first mast mounts atop the socket on the trailer tongue and extends vertically upward high enough to the point which it is visible from the towing vehicle. The second mast has a collar to engage it on the ball of the trailer hitch attached to the towing vehicle. It also extends upwardly to a height at which it is visible from within the towing vehicle. As the vehicle backs up toward the trailer, the driver can see the two masts and steer such that they will come closer and closer together and finally nest together when the socket is directly over the ball.
U.S. Pat. No.: 6,341,794, issued to Hunter, discloses a trailer hitch alignment apparatus comprises a first guide member removably attached to a vehicle bumper and a second guide member removably attached to a trailer hitch socket. The first guide member includes a magnetic base with a telescopically extensible rod adjustably coupled thereto. The second guide member includes a magnetic base having an upwardly extending telescopic rod and a downwardly extending semi-flexible shaft attached thereto. The shaft extends downwardly through a bore defined by the trailer hitch tongue so as to contact the trailer hitch ball when the ball and socket are aligned. Contact between the shaft and ball causes vertical displacement of the shaft and guide rod. Therefore, the two telescopic guide rods, visible from a driver's seat, facilitates lateral alignment of the ball and socket while vertical displacement of the second rod indicates perfect forward alignment.
U.S. Pat. No.: 5,558,352, issued to Mills, discloses a trailer hitch alignment device which allows the driver of a vehicle to align the hitch of the driven vehicle with that of its trailer with no aid from another individual. The invention utilizes two masts having acrylic flags attached thereto mounted upon the hitch components of the respective vehicles to provide visual reference points for the driver. The acrylic flags are bright in color which allow them to be sufficiently illuminated by the reverse lights of the towing vehicle during times of darkness, thereby making night-time hitch alignment possible. Each mast is mounted to a hitch component via a dome-shaped base having several magnets underneath. The magnets provide the attraction force necessary to mount the masts to the hitch components and the shape of the mounting bases provide the bases with the ability to mounted upon virtually any hitch configuration. The mountings are further secured through the use of velcro-type straps which extend from the mounting bases to the hitch components. This enhances stability and, therefore, performance, of the invention when alignment is required over rough terrain or high winds. The invention further has a swing arm offset bracket to allow for the mounting of the masts on towing vehicles having spare tires mounted on their rear.
U.S. Pat. No.: 6,517,098, issued to Grasso et al., discloses an alignment device to align a vehicle's trailer hitch ball neck assembly with a trailer hitch socket assembly or tongue assembly. The present invention includes two units, each having uprights with engaging press on members. The ball neck upright member has a “C”-shaped bottom portion for frictionally engaging the neck of the trailer hitch ball neck, and the hitch engaging upright member has a “U”-shaped bottom portion for frictionally engaging the outer housing of the hitch socket member around its lower end periphery. When used in conjunction with each other, the two poles visually assist the vehicle operator in aligning the vehicles so that they may be easily coupled together for towing.
U.S. Pat. No.: 6,764,091, issued to Grasso et al., discloses an alignment device to align a vehicle's trailer hitch ball neck assembly with a trailer hitch socket assembly or tongue assembly. The present invention includes two units, each having uprights with engaging press on members. The ball neck upright member has a “C”-shaped bottom portion for frictionally engaging the neck of the trailer hitch ball neck, and the hitch engaging upright member has a “U”-shaped bottom portion for frictionally engaging the outer housing of the hitch socket member around its lower end periphery. When used in conjunction with each other, the two poles visually assist the vehicle operator in aligning the vehicles so that they may be easily coupled together for towing. The uprights are constructed of subunits that can be easily dissembled after use for compact storage.
U.S. Pat. No.: 5,269,554, issued to Law et al., discloses an alignment guide includes a plurality of guide assemblies, one of which is mounted to a trailer hitch ball and the other mounted to a trailer tongue, wherein the guides each include telescoping vertical leg members for alignment and communication relative to one another for the positioning of a trailer hitch tongue relative to an associated trailer ball.
U.S. Design Pat. No.: D270,906, issued to Orr, discloses an ornamental design for a visual aid unit for trailer hitch alignment.
U.S. Design Pat. No.: D331,900, issued to Simmen, discloses an ornamental design for a trailer hitch alignment guide.
The inventions heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages which include being difficult to use, being limited in adaptability, inherent inaccuracies, difficulties in attaching to a hitch and/or tow ball, failing to remain properly coupled to a hitch and/or tow ball, being limited in application, being expensive, and being breakable.
What is needed is a hitch assistance system that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.